After returning from a wonderful trip in NYC and Chicago, I looked forward to returning to my daily routine of morning coffee and the Seattle Times. Although gone for less than two weeks, I felt out of touch with national and international events since I had avoided TV and newspapers for most of the trip. Given all the important issues of the day (two wars, gay rights, economic recovery, etc), I felt confident that I would need time to catch up on life. How wrong I was.
Not to disparage the dead, but the barrage of "breaking news" of Michael Jackson's death in print and on screen seems almost grotesque. The poor man was a near pariah in recent years, yet suddenly every A-, B-, and D-list celebrity has jumped on his "dearest friend" band wagon now that he has died. Filling in the spaces were the stories on Farrah Fawcett and Billy Mays. Celebrities have filled the headlines for over a week now.
In case anyone thought that media attention would finally revert to more serious issues, along comes Sarah Palin, just in time for the fireworks, as she cryptically announces she is not going to finish her gubernatorial term. For all the Republicans' snide claims that President Obama is a "celebrity," no one beats old "Gotcha" Palin for idol status. She's Hanna Montana and the Messiah all rolled into one package for the religious right-wing conservatives, and the amount of coverage she received on the 3rd of July on both FOX News and MSNBC was truly absurd. Yes, it was real news, but the follow-up sessions with every pundit from either side of the aisle speculating on her reasons for abruptly bailing on her duties as an elected official became ridiculous.
Naturally, we shut off the boob tube and grabbed a couple of bottles of wine to relax and reconnect with our neighbors. No news really is good news sometimes.
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